New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-10-30
MIR rprrvrH or GERMAN OPERA.

H. c.rran otcra domicci at the metropolitan
o.. ,to,,.c will bcrin It's fourth season next
Wednesday evening under exec tonaiiy t"Nor"'''
circumstances Not only are the ahN'"" S"
scriptions much larger than ever n''o'
hi, wear the institution Will have "l'h'r '''
English nor French rivalry to e'h''""
c,r,,,n onDro hns beaten all o.positon ont Of the
field During it, first season the lhilHic' lO''''''
forces were led by Adclina Patti and Emma
nd durinc the second Minnie liauls ana
,rno Fohs,rom held mp Mr.. Maplcsons banner
l ,bi,h I'm, FIGHT was less successfully
noc.1 than in tie preceding year, though
.i,,,iped ii,elf ill tie end Of the season last
,oor ,Lc onnosition was routed before the Metfo-
ool;,or Opcra House opened its doors Now u"
iis,oric home Of Italian opera has passed out
of ia. hands OF thos' who were It's long VIM
sum- ortcrs and become the abidihg P'"'" VI
DO combination shows. while the upper house mas
,rov,p IN Ice the chief musical establishment
OF the city. ,
Wbilc these changes have been taking place
IN tho musical life OF Ncw-l ork, the uPhoucrs o'
Italian opera have pcrsistcntlS m"Ih'"lh'u '.'''
,hrv were only the unstable results OF p"'''"H
within Of fashion. and would soon give WAY '" '''
~ ,.,, T. his ,ruca We believe not. The evil
dcnce, are too many that the old regime mas eo"'
;',,1 ,bo limbo Of the Iast to stay Last winter
tl,o M W.
,ho, ,be musical pnbulum which had been offered
% u, pu,rons was too heavy 10 be ehJoScd iohs'
so,ob, "a make "A concession to the taste "hich
:, ..,,.oco,cs Of old-fashioncd Italian opera IN
sis,cd still prevailed with tho public particular
.,... u,s laid uron the ballet. and Nerdis
~ Ai1,~-o ,ohlc work and itself splendid
,,un,c to the influence Of the modern German
.chooi-vas revived" with great snmptnoush"SS
-, e,,cc attire What was the result? The dan'ing
,,c,,,umrnts could never draw an audience,
o,d ,hc orcra was Withdrawn after four per-
forunnccs. which failed to bring in one-h"lf as
much money az had been spent IN preparing "
for representation On the other hand i~e'hoV'h
.ridcI;on and Wagncr's Tristan und Isolde
49,, combined outfit cntailcd only trnG
ontlov were the most striking artistic and fnan-
c;,I sucn,scs Of the season. Eight performances
of Warncrs drama and three Of BccthovenS oIera
Welded sls 400 30 exclusive of the box holders
subecript ions With these facts before nm IL Is
scarcely 10 bc wondered at that Mr. stanton ~
G,,nl, convinced that the change which has
come over the tastes OF the opera Socrs OF New
yorlf j. n profound one. and answer 10 the
dictates Of n sinccrer motive than idle iaShioh
The change is sign OF the times IL is in
,.rf,ct harmony with the tendency shown by the
dominant peoples of the Old World in thcIr
r.l,,;on "a music The tendency in conspicuous in
hc art h istory of the last two or three decades
The Germans and Russians in the first instance
the Italians French and English in the second
have either already stricken of the old ShhcKes OF
convention which held the lyric drama bouhd so
long or are pre- airing TO do So Tie progressive
| people of to-day have grown weary OF the SHY
scntimcntaliiics and cloying sweets or the Old
| fashioned opera since the great German composers
have taught them that they need not look in VAN
for some degree OF verisimilitudc and dramatic
expressivcncss in conjoined music and drama
and this new attitude accords with their intel
| lcctual and emotional sanity